Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-09-17
STRANGE FANCIES.
QUEER STORIES OF PEOPLE SANE
ON ALL POINTS BUT ONE.

An Actors Powsr-A Horror OF Dirt.
A New Workers Mania-The Initiative
steward--The Jumpers"
Brewster, in hts letters ON Natural
Magic,r relates an experience of New
ton which shows that any one has the
power to produce Authorizations at his
pleasure This philosopher, after having
regarded for some time the image OF the
sun in looking glass, was much sur
prised, on directing his eyes toward the
dark part OF the room, to see q specter
of the sun reproduced bit by bit, until
1t shone with all the vividness and all
the color of the real object. The hal
lucination afterward reoccurred when
ever he was In the dark The same
phenomenon takes place when person
looks flxedly ct window In strong
light and then at wall; o spectral win
dow, with its panes and bars, soon pre-
sents itself.
Talma, the great French actor, said
that when he entered upon the stage he
was able, by the power of his viii, to
Danish from his sight the dress ct his
numerous and brilliant audience ard TO
substitute In the place of these living per-
sons so many skeletons. When his inn
agination had thus filled the theatre with
these singular spectators the emotions
which he experienced gave such an inn
pulse TO his acting as to produce the most
startling effects.
have known men 10 imagine that they
had gold brains, silver livers and crystal
stomachs, and the latter would swallow no
hard food for fear of breaking the said
brittle organ. There is an authentic case
on record Of man who thought himself
teapot, and always went about at home
and on the street with one arm held out
at right angles and the other akimbo,
walked sideways, and made a Kissing noise
like teapot boiling. Nothing could con-
vince him to the contrary For many
years 1t was the only symptom of insanity
he showed, but eventually he died in on
asylum for the insane.
Speaking of hallucinations have in
mind just now O lady, one of the best
actresses in this country, who has such
horror of dirt that 1t has become almost
mania with her. In washing her hands
she uses at least five bowls of water, uses
towel but once, and that, when it leaves
the laundress, must be locked up lest any
human hand should touch it. Her tooth
brush is always under lock and key
Every morning it takes her over an hour
to bathe, using at least three tubs of water
She dimes in no restaurant where she has
not the privilege Of examining the kitchen
and questioning the cook. Her one hobby
is water. / always call her an aquamaniac
/ know very charming gentleman a
prominent business man, who not for
Vanderbilt's wealth would cross any
river or leave New York. | have used
every endeavor to get him to cross the
ferry from New York to Brooklyn, and
only succeeded once--by drugging him.
He cannot tell why, but us soon as the
boat Is on the point of starting he has O
feeling as il he were about to die, cold
perspiration breaks out all over him, his
knees shake, and stranger looking at
him would think he was about to collapse.
This has been going on for about eight
years. In everything else he is perfectly
sane; at home he is charming in every
respect He has consulted the most emf
nent physicians Of New York, but to no
avail.
Recently I read of most interesting
journey made by Lieut.. Buckingham and
others of the United States navy. While
banks of the Ussilri river, when he OBJ
served o messmate, who was o captain of
the general staff of the Russian army, ap-
proach. The captain of the boat suddenly,
and without any apparent reason, clapped
his hands before his face. Instantly the
steward clapped his hands in the same
manner, put on an angry look, end passed
on The incident was somewhat curious,
"a s,.fs xxrs4l 1,
the steward hardly, in such o country, to
be expected. After this they observed a
number of queer performances of the
steward, and finally comprehended the sit
uation. 1t seemed that he was afflicted
with peculiar mental or nervous disease
which forced him to initiate everything
suddenly presented to his senses. Thus,
when the captain slapped the paddlebox
suddenly in the presence of the steward,
the latter instantly gave it similar
thump, or if any noise was made suddenly
he seemed compelled against his will to
initiate it instantly and with remarkable
accuracy To annoy him some of the pas
sengers initiated pigs grunting or called
out absurd names; others clapped their
hands and shouted, jumped or threw their
hats on the deck suddenly, and the poor
steward, suddenly startled, would initiate
them all precisely, and sometimes several
consecutively. Frequently he would beg
people not to startle him, and again grow
furiously angry, but even in the midst Of
his passion would helplessly repeat some
ridiculous shout or motion directed at him
by his pitiless tormentors. Frequently he
would shut himself up in his pantry, which
was without windows, and lock the door;
hut even there he could be heard answer
ing the shouts, grunts or sounds on the
bulkhead outside. He was man of mid
Gle age, fine physique, rather intelligent
in facial expression, and gave not the
slightest visible Indication of his disability.
l could go on writing about such cases
until exhausted my readers patience,
! but l shall close by relating few Of the
habits of the sect called the Jumpers, or
Jumping Frenchmen, that have commu-
nifty near Moosehead lake, Me. am in
debted to the late Dr. Beard for the par
ticulars. He found that whatever order
was given them they at once obeyed.
Thus, one of the Jumpers who was sitting
on O chair with knife in his hand was
told to throw it, He threw it quickly so
that it stuck in q house opposite. At the
same time he repeated the order to throw
it with cry of alarm not unlike that OF
hysteria or epilepsy. He also threw away
his pipe, which he was filling with tobacco,